15.4.11

NPCIL orders more safety steps

Even while maintaining that India’s atomic plants are capable of handling extended power loss situation as witnessed during Japan’s nuclear crisis, the staterun Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) has announced additional safety measures at all nuclear power plants. The move followed after four task forces completed an internal safety assessment of all nuclear reactors in the country. The task forces were set up in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan triggered by an earthquake and a tsunami. The results of the study were reviewed and discussed by experts and the NPCIL top management. The studies have indicated that all Indian nuclear plants have the capability to handle severe natural events, NPCIL CMD Shreyans Kumar Jain said. The NPCIL task forces want plants to incorporate automatic reactor shutdown initiation if seismic activity is sensed . They want provisions for hook-up arrangements for adding cooling water inventory through external sources to all reactor cooling systems . The plants must have mobile-diesel driven pumping units and and arrangement for transfer of water from nearby sources, if required . The task forces suggested incorporation of additional shore protection measures at Madras and Tarapur atomic power stations, which are located in the coastal regions .The task force at Tarapur has recommended advanced alert mechanism for tsunami

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